


bloodline

by bombcollar



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Character Study, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:48:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26785432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bombcollar/pseuds/bombcollar
Summary: during a match, Skull thinks about the past.
Kudos: 12





	bloodline

_hey Jules, long time no see_

the breezes on top of Moray are brisk, tugging at his clothing, brushing chilly mid-fall fangs against his exposed skin.

_given any more thought to the whole military academy thing?_

the sun is going down and soon it will be too dark to aim, glinting gold in the crystal clear evening sky. it's harsh on his eyes but not so harsh he can't snipe one of the opposing team as soon as they flicker in his peripheral vision.

_you'd be a great sniper. i don't know why you keep saying you're not sure_

he hears the whirring of an autobomb behind him and picks one of many escape routes, headed for another perch. he knows Moray like it's his home. it's one place he'd never get lost.

_all the proof is right in front of you_

he finds another spot and takes out the squid who'd thrown the bomb.

_i just don't understand why you'd want to spend the rest of your life here_

they can't even get close to the center. his team have pinned them to their base. now it's just a matter of time.

_don't you want to do something with yourself? don't you want to do something that matters?_

Avi, Stitch and Paisley can handle themselves. Skull gazes out at the city, the constellation of lit windows in skyscrapers, the neon signs of downtown and headlights flowing along the overpass.

_you're wasting your gift_

already he can feel the satisfying soreness where the E-Liter's recoil has been kicking him in the shoulder all day. it's going to hurt tomorrow.

_you're wasting your talent_

he's 7 years old. his mother guides his little hand as he helps her frost a chocolate cake. "great job, Julian," she says as he beams up at her. "I'm sure it'll make someone very happy."

_you could be a hero_

he and Vintage are fighting again over turf tactics while the rest of the team looks on. it's not fun anymore. maybe it was never supposed to be.

_would you let us all down like that?_

the pool at Mahi Mahi is dark, deserted, the palms rustling with the approach of a thunderstorm. Aloha tells him he won't be practicing with the rest of pink team anymore, and Skull understands.

_you're so much better than the rest of them_

defeat at the hands of blue feels like waking up.

_throwing all that away because you want to bake cakes until the day you die would be like spitting in all of our faces. would you do that to your own family? would you do that to your father?  
_

by now the match is over, but he doesn't head to the spawn point just yet. the city was always at its loveliest from the top of Moray. you couldn't see that through a scope. 

**Author's Note:**

> the mention of Aloha comes from my friend hibiscushavoc's interpretation


End file.
